Fairfield Inn

The Fairfield Inn is one of the region’s most historic inns, dating back more than 250 years ago. Among its distinct and historic guest rooms is the Grumble Jones room, named for the Confederate general who fought in the Battle of Fairfield, a cavalry engagement fought directly to the back of the Inn’s property on July 3, 1863. While a minor fight compared to the Battle of Gettysburg, the mission was an important one. William E. “Grumble” Jones was charged by General Robert E. Lee with the task of securing the vital Hagerstown Road. Jones and his brigade succeeded and after this bloody battle, the Inn was used as a Civil War Hospital for many of Grumble Jones’ soldiers.

The remaining unscathed troops camped near Fairfield, keeping the road open for Lee’s retreat and then guarded the rear as the Army of Northern Virginia moved through the Fairfield Gap on July 4 and 5, 1863.

The South Mountain Partnership is managed as a public-private partnership by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

This website was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, the Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.